MUSLIMS fasting for Ramadan are being encouraged to take the opportunity to give up smoking.

Muslims are not supposed to eat, drink or smoke from dawn until dusk during the holy month, meaning smokers have to cut down significantly.

Health experts are now visiting mosques in Manningham to encourage people to quit the habit for good.

Mohammed Idrees, a stop smoking specialist for Bradford Council, said: "Ramadan is a period of fasting, prayer, self purification and self-reflection. It is an ideal time for people to reconsider their lifestyles and make a positive change."

It is the 13th year Bradford’s stop smoking team has run a smoking cessation campaign during Ramadan.

The initiative has been welcomed by Bradford Council for Mosques' vice-president Zulfi Karim.

He said: "We cannot eat, drink or smoke - anything through the lips is prohibited.

"If you are a 20-a-day smoker, you might be limited to two a day, which really is a good reason for you to quit altogether."